MN WIC Facts

On this page:
Supporting Minnesota families
Accessing healthy foods
Improving birth weight
Encouraging Breastfeeding
MN WIC food dollars spent in local grocery stores
Participant feedback
References
Past Minnesota WIC Facts
 

Supporting Minnesota families

During federal fiscal year 2025, an average of 102,500 low-income women, infants, and children up to age five participated monthly in the MN WIC program.

Minnesota serves 66.2% of those eligible for WIC, ranking within the top five states nationwide (Kessler, 2026).

Additional data:

• WIC Enrollment by Insurance Type (Interactive Data)
• Prenatal Participation in Minnesota WIC by Race and Ethnicity (Interactive Data)
• Monthly Participation

Accessing health foods

WIC participants have healthier diets (Weinfield, 2020). WIC provides healthy foods including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and iron-fortified infant formula.

The WIC fruit and vegetable benefit increases dietary intake, food security, and participation (Tsai, 2024).

Additional data:

• Minnesota WIC Benefit Utilization Summary

Improving birth weight

WIC helps prevent pre-term births and decreases infant mortality within the first year of life (Nianogo, 2019). In Medicaid-funded births, pregnant people participating in Minnesota WIC for three or more months had fewer infants born with low birth weight compared to those not participating (Caulfield, 2022). It costs $114,000-$604,000 to care for a low-birth-weight infant (Beam, 2020).

Research reported by the National WIC Association shows that $1 invested in WIC prenatally saves about $2.48 in medical, educational, and productivity costs related to preterm births (Nianogo, 2019).

Additional data:

• Preterm Births (Interactive Data)
• WIC Birth Weight (Interactive Data)
• Birth Weight by Prenatal Participation (Interactive Data)

Encouraging Breastfeeding

Parents who participate in WIC before birth are more likely to breastfeed. Meeting the breastfeeding recommendations could save $17.2 billion (2014 dollars) in national annual medical costs and prevent 3,340 infant deaths yearly (Jegier, 2024).

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, then continued breastfeeding along with solid foods for two years or longer as mutually desired.

The peer breastfeeding program advances health equity by increasing initiation and duration for all race/ethnicities.

Additional data:

• Breastfeeding Summary (Interactive Data)
• Monthly and Quarterly Breastfeeding Rates (Interactive Data)
• WIC Breastfeeding and Maternal Prenatal Participation (Interactive Data)
• Breastfeeding Among Infants Born in Minnesota (Interactive Data)
• Breastfeeding Exclusivity (Interactive Data)
• WIC Breastfeeding by Race and Ethnicity (Interactive Data)

MN WIC food dollars spent in local grocery stores

In federal fiscal year 2025, Minnesotans participating in the WIC program purchased $98.9 million in WIC foods at local grocery stores. Approximately one third of WIC foods purchased ($31.8 million) were fruits and vegetables.

Participant feedback

Minnesota WIC participated in the National WIC Association Multi-State WIC Participant Satisfaction Survey from June-September 2025. It included 27 WIC agencies. Here are some of the feedback comments participants shared in that survey. (Text is not altered and taken directly from the survey response.)

• "WIC is an amazing program. I love how much it has improved over the years. The nutrition information is very helpful. The WIC employees are very pleasant to work with. Thank you"
• "I am so grateful for this program and the benefits my family receives"
• "Best assistance i have ever received and I do not know where i would be without the help of WIC services."
• "I appreciate this program and am very happy this is an option. I tell all new moms and moms with kids under 5 about this program!"
• "I love this program very much. It's been so much a relief to me and my family financially and otherwise. Thank you for all you do for us mothers and our families."
• "It’s is a great program and hope to see it continue to prosper! I don’t know where we would be without it!"
• "We’re so grateful for the food support we have received through WIC! Thank you!"
• "So thankful for the program and all the kind employees I've interacted with! Everyone is so understanding."
• "WIC has been a life saver. I didn't realize how much I had cut down on fruit and veggies to make the food budget work until we got benefits. Now we have full portions of milk and fresh fruit every day"
• "The WIC program has immensely helped my children and I eat/be healthier while ensuring we receive the nutrition needed during pregnancy and the first few years of the child's life."
• "The staff I had were amazing ladies that took time to listen to me and hear my story and answer any and all questions I had. They made sure that I knew that I could call and get help and support!"
• "WIC has been an amazing support and we love going into the office the staff are so nice!"

References

• Beam AL, Fried I, Palmer N, Agniel D, Brat G, Fox K, Kohane I, Sinaiko A, Zupancic JAF, Armstrong J. Estimates of healthcare spending for preterm and low-birthweight infants in a commercially insured population: 2008-2016. J Perinatol. 2020 Jul;40(7):1091-1099. Estimates of healthcare spending for preterm and low-birthweight infants in a commercially insured population: 2008-2016 - PubMed
• Caulfield LE, Bennett WL, Gross SM, Hurley KM, Ogunwole SM, Venkataramani M, Lerman JL, Zhang A, Sharma R, Bass EB. Maternal and Child Outcomes Associated with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2022 Apr. Maternal, Infant, and Child Health Outcomes Associated With the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children: A Systematic Review - PubMed
• Jegier BJ, Smith JP, Bartick MC. The economic cost consequences of suboptimal infant and young child feeding practices: a scoping review. Health Policy Plan. 2024 Oct 15;39(9):916-945. The economic cost consequences of suboptimal infant and young child feeding practices: A scoping review -PMC
• Kessler C., Bryant A., Munkacsy K., Maxson S., Ressler D., Saluja R., and Farson Gray K. (2025). National- and State-Level Estimates of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Eligibility and WIC Program Reach in 2023. Prepared by Westat, Contract No. GS-00F-009DA/140D0424A0040, Order No. 140D0424F1045. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Project Officer: Grant Lovellette. National and State-Level Estimates of WIC Eligibility and Program Reach in 2023 | Food and Nutrition Service
• Nianogo RA, Wang MC, Basurto-Davila R, Nobari TZ, Prelip M, Arah OA, Whaley SE. Economic evaluation of California prenatal participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) to prevent preterm birth. Prev Med. 2019 Jul;124:42-49. Economic evaluation of California prenatal participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to prevent preterm birth - PubMed
• Tsai MM, Anderson CE, Whaley SE, Yepez CE, Ritchie LD, Au LE. Associations of Increased WIC Benefits for Fruits and Vegetables with Food Security and Satisfaction by Race and Ethnicity. Prev Chronic Dis 2024;21:230288. Associations of Increased WIC Benefits for Fruits and Vegetables with Food Security and Satisfaction by Race and Ethnicity
• Weinfield NS, Borger C, Au LE, Whaley SE, Berman D, Ritchie LD. Longer Participation in WIC Is Associated with Better Diet Quality in 24-Month-Old Children. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2020 Jun;120(6):963-971. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2019.12.012. Epub 2020 Feb 14. Longer Participation in WIC is Associated with Better Diet Quality in 24-Month-Old Children

Past Minnesota WIC Facts

2025

• Minnesota WIC Facts 2025 (PDF)
• Minnesota WIC Facts 2025 Talking Points (PDF)

2024

• Minnesota WIC Facts 2024 (PDF)
• Minnesota WIC Facts 2024 Talking Points (PDF)

2023

• Minnesota WIC Facts 2023 (PDF)

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